Unf***ingbelievable...........

Amid some recent big cutbacks in the news hole, beats and editorial personnel, I find out tonight that our oversized custodial staff makes $17 an hour and some dude who just walks around from floor to floor all night and makes sure some doors are locked makes $19 an hour. That's almost 40 grand a year for those of you without calculators.

We get paid less because the company knows we love what we do and that we are always looking to leave for something better. If we wanted to make real money, we would have got a souless job. Speaking of which, can I borrow a dollar? Seriously, pay day is next Friday and I have two crumpled up ones until then.

There is much truth to the notion that part of our "salary" is the ability to go home at the end of the day without blistered feet. I know people who have lost tips of fingers on the job. That's not likely to happen at a football game. Maybe at a Mike Tyson press conference...

Of course, people seem to think we make a fortune. What always gets me is that the paper I'm working for influences how well people work with me on stories. I had that question today, and the guy acted like I was working for the Butthole Times.

Most of my friends can match my salary. One guy is a painter; another is a factory worker. I don't fret over it. I figure that my lifestyle is a cake walk compared to what they endure each day. As long as I'm happy with the money I bring home each week, to hell with the rest of it.